They're still learning how to play off the ball with LeBron, when to push the pace and finding defensive stability elusive.

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Lakers forward LeBron James dunks during the second half of their game against the Utah Jazz last Friday at Staples Center. Twenty games into the season, James and the Lakers are still learning how to function together. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

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With James, the tendency can be to overthink these things. Even as pundits hold vigil for the inevitable decline, James is still near the height of his powers. Nothing has defined that like the last few wins for the Lakers, which included a 44-point night against the Trail Blazers and a 51-point game against the Heat. One of the most noticeable splits is that in losses, James shoots less than 30 percent from 3-point range, but in wins, he shoots above 43 percent from the arc.

At his absolute best, James is all you need to win. That is a role he’s used to and comfortable with.

“My teammates look for me,” James said after his big night in Miami. “They look towards me to go out there and lead them to victory.”

But those questions are relevant in different ways, as the Lakers’ distributors from last year’s team try to find ways to help out. That’s been particularly difficult for Ball, who has had nights when he’s been invisible, particularly on offense. It’s been a recent impulse to attack the basket more when his 3-point shot isn’t falling, but he’s still finding the balance of switching between being the point guard and being an off-ball weapon. It’s worth noting that of the Lakers’ two-man lineups with James and four of the key young returners Ball, Kyle Kuzma, Brandon Ingram and Josh Hart, James only has a positive net rating when paired with Hart – a spot-up 3-point shooter and rim attacker who resembles teammates he’s had success with in the past.

So in a way, the Lakers are still figuring each other out: More critically, the young Lakers are figuring out where they fit in next to one of the greatest players of all time.

A team that plays fast … at times: There was one assurance when the Lakers began the season: From the top on down, they said they would play fast.

That’s mostly held up through 20 games, with the Lakers sitting as the league’s No. 5 team in pace and the No. 2 team in fastbreak points (20.1 per game). The team’s emphasis on attacking the rim, along with an impressive career resurgence for big man JaVale McGee, has led to the team being No. 2 in points in the paint (56.4 per game). According to stat site Cleaning the Glass, they take more shots at the rim (43.7 percent) than any team in the league.

But the Lakers haven’t been everything they thought they would be: The vision of free-flowing ball movement has been hit-or-miss. After a solid start on going for high-assist numbers, the Lakers are now just 23rd in assist percentage. While they’ve gotten lobs and fast-break dunks, they’ve also taken a lot of long midrange shots (18th in the NBA in frequency), which modern analytics frown upon. The Lakers are also No. 22 in turnover percentage (15.1 percent of possessions), which recently has been frustratingly high in Rondo’s absence.

Speaking of Rondo’s absence: In that six-game span, the Lakers have slowed down from the third-highest pace in the league to the 18th. So many of those rim-attacking qualities and advantages gained through speed? That’s been limited with Rondo sidelined. James is used to playing at a slower pace when he handles the ball more, and the Lakers are just the 26th-ranked offense in those six games.

That’s not how Walton wants it, but he feels his hands are a little bit tied without Rondo.

“We don’t want to slow things down, but we also aren’t emphasizing as much as far as push every chance we get,” Walton said. “Not having (Rondo) out there, we’re more just trying to play solid basketball right now.”

Defensive stability and Tyson Chandler’s role: The Lakers look at their season in 10-game increments, and Wednesday morning, Walton noted to his team that the defense had improved dramatically: In their first 10 games when they went 4-6, they were allowing 111.5 points per 100 possessions, just 23rd in the league. In the last 10 games, they’ve allowed 104.2 points per 100 possessions, which is the fifth-best mark. On the season, the Lakers are now 12th in defensive efficiency.

His traditional stats don’t pop off the page. The 36-year-old center is averaging just 2.9 points and 6.3 rebounds. But the Lakers allow just 96.2 points per 100 possessions when he’s on the court. While Chandler doesn’t contribute much offensively, save for a handful of crucial tip-out offensive rebounds, the numbers say the former NBA Defensive Player of the Year has been pivotal as a defensive anchor.

Chandler is versed enough to offer insight into many defensive situations. After Tuesday night’s loss to the Nuggets, Chandler explained (without the benefit of watching film) how missed rotations on defense led to some of the Lakers being out of place when it came time to rebound, leading to a 22-rebound disparity between the teams.

It’s not all Chandler: A natural on-court familiarity is building for the Lakers, and Walton has cited better efforts from Ball and Kuzma among others as the season has progressed.

“He’s part of it for sure, the way he talks and the way he plays and his leadership,” Walton said. “But you only become a good defensive team if you have five guys committed to doing it. Everyone that is playing gets credit for the defense getting better.”

But if it’s just coincidence that Chandler arrived just as the Lakers’ defense jumped from 23rd to fifth, that’s a heck of a coincidence.